H2O Meets camp HalfBlood
by PercyJfan100
Summary: While swimming, Cleo, Rikki, Emma, and Bella are chased by a sea monster, all the way to America' to Camp Half-Blood. Now, what do you get when you take a camp full of demigods, four mermaids, and a bunch of water everywhere you look. Chaos.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey guys, what's say we go for a swim?" I asked. "Why not?" Cleo said. Rikki just shrugged, and Emma nodded with a simple "Sure." We headed towards the dock, looking around cautiously. We dove after a few moments, after determining there was no one around, and I paused for a few seconds, enjoying the tingly feeling I always felt when I transformed. We immediately swam out to the deep water of the ocean, taking our time to admire the beautiful fish and colorful coral. We swam slowly, and I noticed something glinting on the ocean floor, half buried in sand. I swam over to it, reaching out my hand. I grabbed the object and swept my free hand over the smooth surface, clearing of all the sand to reveal the most beautiful shell I've ever seen.

It was a large spiral shell, with all the colors of the rainbow coiling down the sides, almost like a snake. The vibrant shades of blue, purple, red, green, yellow, pink, and orange shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight that filtered down from the surface. _Oh. My. Gosh. I'll bet Will would _love _this. _I thought to myself. I quickly swam over to Cleo, who was settled near a small reef, closely observing the multicolored fish, smiling every time one was daring enough to dart in and out of her hair, which floated freely in the current. I tapped her shoulder to get her attention, then held up the shell. Her eyes widened, and she mouthed _Woah! _I nodded in agreement with her, then pointed upwards so we could talk, and get some air.

I gestured to Rikki, then laid a hand on chest, then nodded towards Emma and then pointed to Cleo, indicating who we should gather. She nodded, then swam off to get Emma, while I went over to Rikki. I laid my hand on her shoulder, and she turned, startled, as her attention had been completely focused on a mako shark that was swishing around a few meters away. I gestured up, and she obliged. As we surfaced, Rikki asked "What's so important?" I held up the shell, and her mouth dropped. "Oh, wow." She exclaimed, reaching out to rub her hand across the smooth surface. "I know. I'm gonna give it to Will. He loves this kind of stuff." I said, twirling it around in my hand slowly so we could observe it.

"Hey guys. What's that?" Emma asked, raising a hand to point at something that seemed to be heading straight towards us. "A boat?" Cleo guessed, but Rikki shook her head. "No. Too fast." She stated. It was getting closer and closer to us at an incredible speed. "Whatever it is, it kinda looks like a giant-" Emma started "_SNAKE!" _I yelled, finishing her statement. The thing was now towering above us, at least forty feet above our heads, glaring down at us. It looked just like a boa constrictor, it's beady black eyes glaring down at us from the side of its ugly head. It was a gruesome greenish orange, with the occasional patch of inky black. It hissed, and we were overwhelmed with the awful stench of rotting fish. "SWIM FOR IT!" Rikki yelled.

We all dove, swimming our fastest, which is like 175 kilometers per hour. The thing followed us, and it kept snapping it's jaws, trying to eat us. We swam a long distance, and we only came up for air every seventeen minutes or so. We ran (or swam), from that _thing _for hours on end, and our muscles began to ache. I slowed down, it was too much. I saw a strip of land maybe twenty miles off when I surfaced, so we headed in that direction. Emma grabbed my hand, dragging me along, but she was tiring fast, we all were.I told myself we would make it, but I highly doubted it. We were all exhausted, and our fins ached, begging for a break. I slowed down even more, as did the other girls, our exhaustion taking control over our bodies. The giant snake-like creature moved in closer, narrowing its eyes in delight, but suddenly stopped, staring wide eyed at the piece of land we were near.

It screeched in what I'm pretty sure was terror, and turned and swam off quickly, completely forgetting us. We dragged ourselves onto the sand of the beach, flopping down on our backs, our tails still visible. At the moment, we didn't care _who _saw us, as long as we got to rest. After about five minutes, Rikki sat up and steam dried us, and we all winced a bit at the sting, even though we were perfectly used to it. Rikki shakily stood up, and looked around, when her gaze zeroed in on something.

"Look. There're some buildings. Let's go see if we can find someone to help us. Maybe tell us where we are." She suggested. I thought it sounded like a reasonable idea, so I agreed with a nod. I pushed myself up, wobbling a bit on my stiff and sore legs. I took one step, and pain erupted in my left leg "Owww." I moaned, clutching my thigh. "Are you ok?" Cleo asked worriedly, still on the ground. "Yeah, my legs are just a little sore." I took another step and almost lost my footing, but thankfully Rikki was there to grab my arm and steady me. "Ok, a lot soar." I admitted. Emma and Cleo rose from their sitting positions on the ground, only to fall over again as their legs gave way. "Ouch. That's gonna leave a bruise." Emma muttered irritably, rubbing her elbow, which was already turning a dark purplish black. "Are you guys ok? Can you walk?" I asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." Cleo said. I slowly stepped over to her, my eyes glued to my feet to ensure I wouldn't trip, and held out my hand to my friend. She accepted, and I pulled her up, and this time, I only teetered a little bit on my feet. "Let's go." Rikki said, hauling Emma to her feet.

"Are you sure we're ready to walk? I mean, we've just swam for miles, don't you think we should rest a bit?" I asked. "No, Bella, I don't think we should rest. We should find out where we are. I don't recognize this place, do you?" Rikki asked. I found it hard to argue, she had a point. I didn't know where we were, and those buildings didn't seem at all familiar. We slowly made our way towards the cluster of buildings, gripping each others shoulders to ensure that we kept our balance. We were about fifty feet away from the small beach when we heard the familiar sound of footsteps. "W-who's there?" I asked nervously. Suddenly, a boy appeared in front of us, like literally appeared, as in we didn't see him walk up to us, the air just seemed to create him, and he became visible. He held a sharp, real sword in his hand, the blade made of midnight black metal. "Who are you?" he asked holding the blade out in front of him, pointing it at us. We each passed out, falling backwards from partial shock, exhaustion, and fear of being skewered.

-LINEBREAK-

(Nico's POV)

"Well, _that _was unexpected." I muttered to myself, peering down at the fallen girls. I knelt beside one of the three blonds, laying my hand on her forehead. As my fingers came in contact with her skin, a warm feeling shot through me. My skin tingled as it rested on her forehead, enjoying the warmth that emanated off of her skin. I looked them over to make sure none of them were hurt, which, thank the gods, they weren't. I noticed a bruise on one of the other blonds elbow, but otherwise they looked ok. I shadow traveled away, back to the infirmary, where I knew some of the Apollo kids would be. I walked right in, and sure enough there were two children of Apollo, Will Solace and Hailey Sokar. "Hey, guys there are four girls passed out not too far from the cabins. Definitely half-bloods, but I can't shadow travel them all back. I'll probably pass out for a week if I do. I can probably bring two of them, but that's it. They look about seventeen each. I need your help!" I said quickly.

"Well let's go!" Hailey said. "Yeah if they're hurt, we'd better hurry!" Will agreed. He said. "Thanks guys." I said and ran out. I shadow traveled away to the girls, praying to my dad that he hadn't brought their souls to the underworld yet. I reached them, and immediately I knelt by the blond haired girl I'd touched earlier. Only now did I realize how truly gorgeous she was. Delicate, flawless face, silky golden blond hair that complimented her smooth, soft skin perfectly. Her lips were thin yet full, and possessed a pale but bold pinkish tint. Her eyelashes were a deep golden brown, framing her eyes perfectly. Her skin was deeply tanned, looking great with her long hair and lashes. As I picked her up, I found she was surprisingly light weight, considering her estimated age of seventeen. She seemed to weigh only ninety five pounds at the most, even though she had a healthy figure. Her fingers were long and elegant, her nails painted with a clearish pink polish that matched her lips. I was pretty sure she was a daughter of Aphrodite, given her drop dead good looks.

I shadow traveled away to the infirmary, cradling the girl in my arms. Chiron was in there, tending to the wounded, not noticing me yet. "Hey, Chiron." I said. He turned around, looking rather startled. When he saw it was just me, he said "Oh good, Nico. Will and Hailey told me about the girls, I'm guessing this is one of them?" He said as his eyes drifted to the girl I was carrying, "Do you know who she is?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face. I shrugged and said "I don't know. They were walking towards the cabin area when I found them, and then I appeared in front of them, and then they passed out. That's all I know." I explained.

"Put her over here." He said, gesturing to an empty bed. "You said 'they'. Was there anyone else with her?" he asked as I laid her down. "Yeah. There were three others. Two blonds and a brunette." I answered. I looked at the girl again, still awestruck with her beauty. I noticed something strange, though. There were some paperclips on the desk next to her bed, and they were rattling around. Suddenly, they flew off the desk, straight towards something on the girls neck: a crystal necklace. "Wow! That's a strong magnetic pull." Chiron exclaimed. The girl stirred, and slowly sat up, looking confused. She noticed us, and started talking "Where am I? What is this place? What's going on? Where are my friends?" in a strong accent that made her barely understandable, Australian, maybe.

"Woah, what's with the accent?" I asked. "Me? You're the one with the accent!" she exclaimed. Chiron gave her a confused look "Anyway, as to where you are, the infirmary. Camp Half-Blood." Chiron said. "Camp what? Where?" she asked. "What's your name?" I asked. "Bella." She answered after a moment. "What are your names?" she asked curiously. "I'm Nico, son of Hades." I said. "And I am Chiron." Our teacher introduced himself. "Who?" she asked, confusion creeping into her voice. I opened his mouth to explain, but she cut me off. "I don't care. Where are my friends?" she asked again. "Two blonds? And a brunette?" I asked. "Yep. That's them. Cleo, Rikki, and Emma. Where are they?" "Um, that way. Towards the cabins." I said.

"I have to go." She said, rising off the bed. "Wait!" I said, holding out my arms. "Get outta my way." She said angrily, pushing past me. "Wow. She's got _some _attitude." I said. "We should go after her." Chiron suggested after a moment. "Oh, that reminds me! I'm supposed to be getting one of the others. Bye!" I said and ran out, disappearing into the shadows as I moved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I am **_**so **_**sorry about not posting for so long. I've been experiencing writer's bloc (hate that), and I haven't had much time to brainstorm ideas much, between the school work and the nagging parents and the bratty, spoiled, annoying younger sisters. Anyway, here it is, chapter two! Hope you enjoy! Plz review, and I really appreciate all the nice reviews I've already received!**

I sat up, looking around. _Where am I?"_ I mentally questioned myself. Suddenly, it all came back to me. The swim, the monster, the mysterious boy with the sword, everything. I looked over and inspected my friends, hoping they weren't hurt. We appeared to be in some kind of sick room, full of beds and medical supplies. Emma had a good sized bruise on her elbow, but otherwise she seemed to be in ok condition. I quickly scanned over Bella and Cleo, and they were just fine, as far as I could tell. I heard footsteps, and the sound of jiggling doorknob, and I quickly laid down, pretending to be asleep. A blond girl walked in, wearing denim shorts and an orange t-shirt with a horse with wings. Weird. She walked by each of us, inspecting us slowly. She laid a hand on Cleo's forehead, and I had to resist the urge to jump up and push her away from my best friend. I didn't know anything about her, and although she looked nice enough, looks can be deceiving. I mean, just think about Denman. She looks sweet and innocent, like she'd never even _think _about trying to hurt a single living creature, but she'd captured me and my friends, wanting to experiment on us and expose us to the world. In other worlds, she's totally evil. The girl frowned slightly, then walked across the room. She grabbed a fluffy ocean blue wash cloth, turning on a sink and wetting it. She walked back over to Cleo, dripping wet cloth in hand. She lowered it towards her skin, and things seemed to move in slow motion. I had to stop her. I couldn't let her find out our secret. I jumped up. "No! Don't!" I yelled, slapping her wrist away. "Ow! What's wrong with you? What was that for?" she asked, holding her now red wrist. "Me? I'm just protecting her!" I said, too angry to care at the moment that I could've just blown our secret. Her eyes narrowed, glaring murderously at me. Emma, Bella, or Cleo would've at least flinched, but not me. I'm used to receiving, and giving, glares, so I wasn't scared in the slightest. "Well, I was just trying to help her." the girl said. "Well, you shouldn't just go around trying to 'help' people without their permission." I shot back. "Well, if you know so much about helping people, then you do it!" she said. Before I could react, she grabbed the still sopping wet wash rag and shoved it at me, soaking a good sized spot on my shirt.

"You idiot!" I yelled, bolting. I ran into another room. _Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.___I thought. I lost my balance as my tail appeared, crashing to the floor. Thankfully the blond girl hadn't followed, and I was alone. I turned over onto my back, holding my hand above my tail. I began curling my fingers into a ball, clenching my fist, generating heat across my scales. The water was almost gone, I could sense it. Right as the last drop was evaporating, the girl came in, and she must have seen just one small glimpse of my fins before they vanished, because she fainted. "Oh, great." I said, standing up. "How am I gonna explain this to… whoever lives around here?" I asked myself. "Explain what?" a voice asked. I whirled around to find a guy standing in the door way, about my age, with black hair and green eyes. His eyes widened as he saw the unconscious girl on the ground, and he ran to her, looking worried. "Annabeth! What happened?" he asked, looking up at me. "Well, I probably scared her when I got up. She wasn't expecting me to just come up behind her." I lied. He nodded. "She's been pretty jumpy ever since I got back." He muttered. I was confused, but didn't ask. "Well, what's your name?" he asked, standing up from his kneeling position beside the girl, or Annabeth, I think he'd called her. "I'm Rikki." I said, shaking his hand. "Percy." He said. I was about to ask about this place, and where I was, but a voice called from the other room. "R-Rikki? Where are you?" I walked in to find Bella sitting up, looking rather confused. "Hey Bella. I'm right here." I said. "Oh, good. I thought you'd gone off for a swim without-" she stopped abruptly as she spotted Percy standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened as she realized he'd just heard. "I thought you'd gone for a swim without us." She said hurriedly, grinning nervously. "And you are?" she asked, trying to cover up her nervousness and anxiety, trying not to rouse suspicion. "I'm Percy." He said, holding out his hand. "Bella." She said after a moment, shaking his hand. "Uh, could I please talk to her. Alone?" I asked, remembering that Annabeth might've seen my tail. "Uh, sure." He said, walking out. I closed the door and sat next to Bella. "We've got trouble. Big trouble." I said. "How big?" she asked. "Well, this girl, Annabeth was going to put a wet rag on Cleo's forehead and-" "The nerve." Bella muttered angrily. "Anyway. I stopped her, but then she thrust it at me. I ran, but I think she might have seen my tail, cuz she passed out." I explained. "Oh no. This is bad. This is worse than bad." She said. "What's worse than bad?" a voice asked. We turned to see Emma lying on her stomach, elbows propped under her chin, holding her head up, a questioning look on her face. "Uh, I think someone mighta seen my tail." I said, knowing she'd probably yell at me then lecture me about being responsible. "WHAT?" she yelled, jolting into a sitting position. "How could you be so careless?" she asked. "Well, I didn't know the girl would shove a sopping wet wash cloth at me!" I defended. "Oh. Never mind then; it wasn't entirely your fault." I nodded in agreement. "Oh well, we should figure out what she knows. With any luck, she'll thin it was all a dream or she was hallucinating." Bella said. "Yeah. We can hope." I mumbled.

-Percy's POV-

As I left the two girls to be alone, I decided to eavesdrop. I know, I know, it was rude, but they seemed strange, like they were hiding something. The girl, Rikki, said. "We've go trouble. Big trouble." "How big?" the other girl, bella, asked. "Well, this girl, Annabeth was going to put a wet rag on Cleo's head-" Bella cut her off. "The nerve." She hissed, her voice angry. "Anyway. I stopped her, but then she trust it at me. I ran, but I think she might have seen my tail, cuz she passed out." Rikki said. _What? A tail? What are they talking about? _I thought. "Oh no. This is worse than bad." Bella said. "What's worse than bad?" a new voice asked. "Uh, I think someone mighta seen my tail." Rikki's voice said. "WHAT? How could you be so careless?" the mystery voice shouted. "Well, I didn't know the girl would shove a sopping wet wash cloth at me!" Rikki said in defence. "Oh, never mind then; it wasn't entirely your fault." The unnamed voice said, much calmer then it had been a few moments ago. "Oh well, we should figure out what she knows. With any luck, she'll think it was all a dream or she was hallucinating." Bella suggested. "Yeah, we can hope." Rikki muttered. "Let's get Cleo up and find out where we are." The mystery person said. "Alright." Rikki said. Then Bella's voic gently said "Cleo. Cleo. Wake up." "Hmm? What's going on?" a tired voice asked. "We have to go. Figure out where we are. Then maybe we can swim home." Bella said. _Swim? _I thought. "Well, ok. Let's go." The mystery voice said. I heard footsteps, and I realized they were coming out! They'd know I'd been listening. Out of desperation, I caused the sinks inside to explode with water, showering them with cold water, hoping it would slow them down. Sure enough, I heard shrieks of surprise inside, and then four _thumps! _Like something heavy had just been dropped on the floor. I was confused, but wasted no time, running out. The last thing I heard were the four girls arguing. "Cleo!" and annoyed sounding Rikki said. "What did you do that for?" Bella asked. "I didn't do anything!" the person who I assumed was Cleo protested. I ran out, heading towards the beach, where I could think the clearest.

-Bella's POV-

We were about to leave the medical room, when the sinks exploded, showering us with icy cold water! _Flop!_ "Cleo!" Rikki said. "Why did you do that?" I asked. "I didn't do anything!" she protested. "Let's not argue. Rikki, would you just dry us off?" Emma asked. "Sure" she agreed, and began curling her fingers into a tightly closed fist. The water covering us hissed with heat, and began to steam. "Ow! Careful! How many times do we have to go through this? Sensitive scales here!" Emma complained. "Sorry, Em." Rikki apologized. Our legs soon reappeared, and we hopped up. "Wait, if you didn't make the sinks explode, who did?" I asked. Cleo shrugged, looking as confused as I felt. We walked out, curious yet cautious about our surroundings. As we stepped into the warm summer sunlight, we all gasped. The area surrounding us was beautiful. Lush green hills, dotted with patches of color, probably clumps of flowers. There was a sparkling lake in the distance, with a few canoes in it. There was a giant baby blue house, four stories tall, judging by the windows, tucked neatly in a field of strawberries, which were bursting with little ripe, red fruits. There was a cluster of buildings, the one's we'd seen before, at least forty of them. The whole place seemed like a little hidden world, surrounded by hills to keep out invaders. And on the highest hill, a huge, at least thirty foot tall pine tree dominated the sky, seeming to say _'I'm a lot bigger than all of you and that makes me the best' _it really did seem like it was put there for a reason, like as a barrier marker, or a warning. There seemed to be something gold glinting in one of it's lowest branches, but it was hard to tell in the blinding bright sunshine. We descended down the hill, amazed and shocked at what sight's met our eyes. There were children of all ages running aroun, the youngest maybe three, and they all had weapons. And not the fake plastic kinds you'd see at Halloween, but real, sharp, metal knifes and swords, all grasped in the hand of a little kid or teenager. Ok, I'm not one to usually stress a whole lot about safety rules and stuff (that's Emma's job) but, come on people! Common sense, you don't give a little kid a knife! That's just plain dumb!

As we continued exploring, lot's of guys passed us, and lot's of them whistled, eyeing me and winking or flashing me a smile or whatever. I sighed "Can I go _anywhere _without having some guy hit on me?" I asked my friends. "Of course not!" I new voice said. We turned around to see a bunch of girl, each wearing lipstick and eyeshadow and mascara, all of it perfect. I could tell immediately that they and Rikki would be instant enemies. "What?" I asked, confused. "I mean, look at you! Your gorgeous! Obviously a daughter of Aphrodite!" the girl that seemed to be the leader said, circling me, along with her friends. "Ok, uh, thank you." I said, not sure what else to say. "Daughter of who?" Rikki asked. "Goddess of Love and Beauty! Hmm, and by the looks of it…" one trailed off, looking at Rikki. "You could be related to her too!" she exclaimed. "What?" we all asked at the same. "yeah..." the leader mused. "Sun bleached blond hair, natural waves, bright blue eyes, long eyelashes, super model figure. Yep, you're one of us." She said. I covered my mouth, shocked. These girls seemed like girly girls, the type that likes to talk about boys, make up, celebrities and gossip in their spare time. Rikki is absolutely nothing lie that. The closest thing she's ever done to get involved in stuff like that is when she's firing insults at the girly girls at our school. _Ok, this is getting weirder and weirder._ I thought.

**Well, what did you think? Yeah, I know, not much action, but that's the point! I'm creating suspence! (Did I spell that right?) Please review! Oh, and if you're wondering w/ the thing about Rikki, she might be, she might not. I might leak if I get more reviews! Thanks a bunch for reading, and I'll post as soon as possible!**


	3. Chapter 3

-Percy's POV-

I knew I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but they were getting seriously suspicious. They'd recently been in the ocean, I could see the aura of it. Now, you're probably thinking, a_ren't you just being paranoid? Lot's of people live near the ocean._ And no, I'm not. They'd been underwater for a good three hours, only coming up every thirty minutes or so, then going back down. I could tell those types of things, and even scuba gear couldn't give them that kind of power. And they'd been traveling at unrealistic speeds. Approximately two hundred miles per hour, that just wasn't natural. Not even a champion swimmer could do that. A child of Poseidon or Neptune could, but not just regular girls. I mean, I knew they were demigods, how else would they have gotten past the barrier, but there was no way they were kids of Poseidon. How could they have survived so long I the outside world, they were at least seventeen or eighteen. So many questions, and absolutely zero answers.

I decided I should confess to eavesdropping, and also apologize for soaking them with water. That wasn't very nice of me, even if I was in a desperate situation; they hadn't deserved to be doused with icy cold water. I took off towards the infirmary, where I thought they'd be. All the way there, I could hear all the boys talking and obsessing and carrying on to each other about some new girl, and how beautiful she was. It was kind of weird. Come on, well over a hundred guys swooning over the same girl at once? That's just creepy. Thankfully, I have a girlfriend, and I wouldn't be caught dead checking out another- Oh. My. Gods! She's gorgeous!

My eyes rested on the beautiful girl that had just emerged on top of the hill, three others next to her, the bleached blond looking slightly green, like she'd just been told the most horrible, sickening news in the world. "-as bad as you think, Rikki. You're nothing like them." the dirty blond said, patting the girl I'd met earlier, Rikki was her name, on the shoulder. The golden blond was beautiful, perfect, silky hair that blew in the breeze, perfect blue eyes as shiny and bright as an aquamarine gem. Her facial features were flawless, not a single freckle, absolutely nothing to draw anyone's attention away from her eyes. Except maybe her long, luscious eyelashes, which gracefully beat up and down when she blinked. Her skin was perfectly tanned, a deep gold. In other words, she was prettier than every one of the Aphrodite girls put together. I didn't even realize they'd been trying to talk to me until Rikki slapped me across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Rikki!" The dirty blond scolded.

"What? He was ignoring me."

"Still, that's no reason to hit."

"You sound like my mother." Rikki muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, what did you want?" I asked.

"Where are we?" The brown haired girl asked.

"You're in Camp Half-Blood."

"Where's that?" the golden haired one asked.

"Long Island Sound, New York."

"NEW YORK?" They all yelled, looking completely and utterly shocked. Their eyes were nearly popping out of their heads. "H-H-How d-did w-we get to New Y-York?" The dirty blond stuttered.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Great. Well, when can we go home? Mum and dad will be so steamed if they find out I'm gone!" the dirty blond fretted. Mum? I just now realized they had an accent of some sort, they definitely weren't from America. Either that or they were _really _good at manipulating their vocal chords. I figured the former was more likely.

"Uh, where are you from, exactly?" I asked.

"The Gold Coast, Australia." The brown haired girl said.

"Australia?"

"Yes, why?" the golden blond asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"No reason. We're just… not used to guests from, well, not from America."

"Oh…" She sounded slightly offended.

"Oh, I- I didn't mean it like that!" I hurriedly explained what I'd meant. All the campers here were American, and I'd never met someone from out of state. She perked up almost instantly.

"Oh, good. I hate not being liked." She smiled brightly, obviously pleased.

"So, uh, what are your names?" I asked, trying to change the subject. The way she was smiling so much was unsettling. I'd never met someone so perky and bubbly.

"Oh, I'm Bella." She introduced. "And these are my sisters, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma."

"Sisters?" They looked almost nothing alike.

"Well, we're _like _sisters. We do everything together. And we each share a certain secret…" her tone was mysterious, almost taunting me to learn more, but I restrained myself from asking. It was between them, hence none of my buisness.

"Pleased to meet you." Emma said, sticking out her hand. We shook, her grip was gentle but firm, meaning she was sincere. Rikki just stood there, looking deep in thought. "Rikki…" Emma waved her hand in front of her face.

"Rikki? Rikki? RIKKI!" Cleo yelled that last part, startling her out of her trance.

"Wh-what?" she asked, sounding slightly dazed.

"You were spaced out. What's up?" I asked. She shuddered, a shiver wracking her body involuntarily.

"It's those… princesses."

I stifled a laugh. "Who?"

"Those beauty obsessed super model types. They said I might be 'one of them'. It was disgusting."

"Well, you do have the l-" faster than I could react, she grabbed me by the front of my shirt, holding me close to her face.

"Finish that sentence, and I finish you." She growled, her tone beyond angry, more like incredibly infuriated. "Got it?" she asked through clenched teeth. I nodded. She pushed me to the ground. "Good."

She stormed off, her 'sisters' at her heels. "Wow… She's vicious." Grover remarked. He'd been walking by and witnessed the whole thing.

"You're telling me?" I don't know why, but those girls scared me. And I've fought off titans and gods, with nothing but a sword. They were strange, not normal. Not like monster not normal, but like half human and half something else not normal. But that was crazy. If they were, someone would have realized it by now. Right? Well, I decided I'd follow them, see if I could figure out why they zapped my senses into 'alert' mode whenever they were within ten feet. Like I'd said before, there were so many questions to be answered about them, with no where to begin with to search for them. But that didn't dim my determination. I was going to find out what they were, and why they were here, if it was the last thing I did. Because I knew one thing, they weren't normal.

**Yes, yes, I know it's short and uneventful. But I've been stressed. My aunt just had surgery, she can barely move, and she's staying at my house. I've been taking care of her two kids all day, and I'm exhausted. But I figures while I had little free time, I'd try to write something somewhat decent. I know it's not too good, it's meant mainly as a lead-in to chapter four, just to, you know, let you know Percy's thoughts, and why he did what he did. But I hope it'll satisfy some for the time being. The next chapter, I think is when he'll find the girls about to go for a swim and see's their tails, or catches them using their powers. Also, that maybe the one when Annabeth confronts Rikki about her tail. Or maybe that'll be in chapter five. I hope this is acceptable.**


	4. Chapter 4

The nerve of that idiot! Saying I was 'good looking enough' to be one of those, those… _girls_. The very thought of them made me have to choke down vomit. And the fact that they insisted I was one of them didn't help my mood, and that guy with the black hair… there was something about him that steered my nerves wrong. I'll admit, I kind of lost my temper, you know, with the grabbing of the shirt and threatening to finish him. I wouldn't really kill him, just boil his blood long enough to make him sorry for what he'd done.

"Rikki, wait! Please!" Bella called. I was just storming away, towards where I'd seen a creek earlier. I love being near water, it calms me. Like, whenever I see it, I'm coming home, which I kind of am. I mean, if I became a permanent mermaid, I'd live in the ocean, all the time. Even though I'd never give up my surface life, the ocean was definitely a home to me. I mean, I _am _half mermaid. I didn't stop, but I slowed my pace at her pleading tone. I slowed from a sprint into a brisk walk, allowing my sisters to catch up and walk alongside me, panting slightly.

"Glad you- finally- stopped." Cleo managed. We stopped at the creek, watching the water gurgle across the rocks. It was a beautiful, peaceful place. The water was clear, the sun reflecting off of it, giving it a bright, but pleasant, shimmer. The air smelled faintly of some kind of fruit. Grapes, maybe. Or strawberries. The water almost had this _temptation _to it, as if it were asking me to do something to it. I couldn't get in, unless I wanted to risk exposure, which I didn't. Still, the urge was nearly irresistible. Like when the full moon rises, and we know we're not supposed to look at it, but there's just something about it that just draws us in, compels us to look at it, pay attention to it, give it our undivided and complete devotion. I could tell the other girls wanted to mess around with it too, slowly raising their hands.

Cleo thrust out her hand, and a sphere of water rose. About thirty inches around, or, as they say in America, I think a foot. Honestly, who names a form of measurement after a body part? I heated my own little circle, a ring of bubbling, boiling liquid.

"Hey guys, I wonder what happens when we combine them all together…" Emma said.

"Hmm. I don't know." Cleo mused.

Bella grinned giddily. "Let's find out."

And before we knew it, we were forcing our powers together. They rose into the sky as one large ball, towering above the trees. The wind picked up, and clouds gathered in the sky, lightning occasionally flashing, courtesy of me. Snow fell, as did rain, but nothing touched us. A protective circle of pure energy circled us, flickering with electricity, keeping the water from touching us and transforming us into mermaids. They swirled in a spiral like shape, creating… was that a tornado?

Sure enough, we'd made our own tornado, but it wasn't a normal one. It was shooting water and icicles and balls of jelly in all directions, as well as lightning, which, where ever it struck, lit something on fire. It wasn't doused by the water, however, but only burnt in some places instead of spreading.

"This is so cool!" I yelled over the wind. It felt so good to let off some steam after the encounter with (*shudder* *gag*) those prissy girls and the boy I'd met earlier, Percy, I think. I willed it to grow bigger, and it did, sending globs of jelly the size of beach balls and icicles longer than butcher knives in all directions. I threw my fist up one more time, feeling myself growing weaker. I fell to my knees, breathing hard, the sky clearing, the tornado disappearing just as fast as it had formed.

"That. Was. Amazing!" I said. Bella giggled excitedly, obviously still giddy from the experience.

"I have to admit, that was pretty blood pumping." Emma admitted.

"Really, Em? We just created probably the biggest weather phenomenon in history, and you say it was just 'blood pumping'?" She shrugged, clutching her chest. She was breathing hard, each breath controlled and slow.

"I say we- do that- another time-, but not- today." Cleo panted.

Bella nodded in agreement. "That really was cool. The neatest thing I've done since we saved the earth from that comet."

"Agreed." We all said, even Emma, who'd watched the experience on television. Too bad she hadn't been there, it was the best.

"Hey, anyone up for a swim?" I offered.

Cleo shot me a confused look. "Now?"

"Why not? Swimming always relaxes us, and I need to clear my head after that whole thing."

"Rikki's right. We do need to relax our minds for a while. And we should swim home. How about tonight?" Bella suggested.

"Yeah, but… how do we get there?" Cleo asked. I frowned. I honestly had no clue. But I couldn't let them know that. I was the main 'tough girl' of our group. It was my duty to stay strong, for my best friends, for my sisters.

"This place has to have a library." Emma announced.

"Yeah. And?" I muttered.

"Well, if we can find a library, we're sure to find an atlas."

"And your point is…" She groaned and smacked her forehead.

"The _point _is, if we can find an atlas, we can find a world map. Hence a way to get home!"

"Ah. Now I get it." I smiled and gave her my 'sorry, I can be such a blond sometimes'.

Cleo, noticing that look, pointed out innocently "But you _are _a blond."

I glared at her, eyes narrowed. She shrugged. "What? You are. You were born with your sun bleached blond hair." It was true, but still, she didn't need to state the obvious. Before I could tell her that, there was a sudden sapping of twigs, and someone saying something in another language. We turned around to see Percy standing there, smiling nervously, yet looking shocked. "Hi, girls…"

"How long have you been standing there?" I demanded.

"Uh…" I knew that tone. He was trying to come up with a decent lie. He'd been standing there for quite some time, watching our every action. Just great. He'd seen us with our powers. Now what were we gonna do?


	5. Chapter 5

"Grab him!" Rikki yelled.

Within seconds, I hovering about five feet above the ground, cocooned in a column that was covering everything except my face.

Emma stuck out her hand, and it froze. "What on earth? How are you doing this?"

"Shut up, Percy. If I wanted to, I could boil you inside out." Rikki threatened.

I, not being one to put up with being pushed around, asked "How? Why should I believe you?"

She clenched her fist, aiming it at the water, eyes still trained on me. In no time, it started steaming and bubbling and hissing without, which I'm guessing was making the naiads pretty angry. She pointed to the creek, unclenching her fist, and the water stopped bubbling, steam curled into the air, and when it cleared, the creek was completely dry, not a drop of water!

"That could be your blood, Percy. I'm not afraid to use my powers if I have to. So don't push me." she growled.

"How are you doing this?" I asked again.

"Why should we tell you? You'll just get us exposed to the world and studied like freaks." Emma snapped.

"Uh, how would I expose you? I couldn't if you didn't control the water." I thought for a minute. "do you know your parents? Both of them?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Bella asked. She sounded kind of hurt, as if she thought I was judging her.

"Just tell me. Do you or don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I have both my parents at home, so do my friends." Bella said.

"Oh… Then how is this possible?" I nodded at the tentacle of water that still had me suspended in the air.

"How do you think? You seem to have an idea." Cleo noted.

"You could be children of Poseidon."

Emma laughed nervously. "Who?"

"Poseidon, go of the sea. My father."

"Ok, you are completely crazy, you know that?" Rikki said.

"It's true. I can control water too."

"Prove it." Emma said suspiciously, then glanced at Cleo.

She nodded, then did the same gesture she had earlier to make the water rise. Almost instantly, the water returned, gurgling across the rocks again.

Rikki melted the water, and said "I give you five seconds. Do it, or I boil your blood till your nothing but a pile of ashes."

Gosh, she sure was aggressive. I made the creek rise, a huge wave towering over it. "Ok, I'll admit, I didn't expect that. But I still don't know about the Poseidon part." Emma said. She muttered something, and I only caught a few words. "Unless he's a…"

"Ok. You've shown you can control water too. Now what were you saying about a god?" Bella asked.

"Let's get back to the cabins. It'll be easier to explain with other demigods around."

"Demigods?" Cleo asked.

"Kids that are half human, and half god. They have one mortal parent, and one godly parent. Now we just have to figure out who you're Olympian parent is. If it's Poseidon, I don't know how everyone else will react…"

I led them back, considering they didn't know their way around. I received some nasty glares from almost every guy in camp, and I knew they were jealous and were angry I got to be close to the new girls. Especially because we were now getting along. At least, Rikki had stopped threatening to boil my blood, and the other three seemed a bit more relaxed. But only a bit.

As we entered my cabin, they all gasped. "Wow! It's beautiful in here!" Bella exclaimed.

"Who- where did you get those?" Cleo asked, pointing at the hippocampi that hung from the ceiling.

"My brother." I answered.

I invited them all to sit down, and they did. I began my story, about the gods, and how I was shocked that they may be children of Poseidon. I explained about World War two, and how the pact of the Big three had been made. That Big Three children weren't supposed to be born, and why it was dangerous for us to live in the mortal world. All the monsters and such. They seemed fascinated by the information, but also a little freaked out that there were monsters living in their world. They said they'd never been attacked before. This surprised me. Oh well, we'd have plenty of time to figure it out later. Just then, the conch blew. "Come one guys. It's time to eat." I said.


	6. Chapter 6

As I led the four girls into the dining pavilion, as soon as we stepped over the threshold, they all froze, muscles going rigid. They all stood, stiff and wide eyed, all around the room. They seemed to be watching the liquids in the room, in all the goblets or in small puddles from where the naidas stood. "Hey… you ok?" I asked, waving a hand in front of Emma's face.

"C-can we j-just east somewh-where else?" Bella squeaked, her voice extremely high.

"Why?"

"W-Well…" Cleo stopped and gulped audibly. "There's just… uh…."

"Too much water." Rikki finished.

"What? Why would _water_ be a problem!" I was generally shocked. I mean, why would four girls, who could actually _control_ water, be afraid of it? It made no sense. Then again, nothing about them made sense so far.

"Because… it just is." Emma said.

"Oh, come on." I urged. There's no reason to be scared or worried."

"We can't…" Bella denied shyly.

"Oh come on. You don't have to be sc-"

"We just can't, ok!" she finally snapped, although she sounded more upset than angry. She then turned and ran out, face buried in her hands.

"Bella, come back!" Cleo exclaimed, but she was already gone. They ran after her, following her down to the lake shore, which I also didn't get. If they hated water so much, why would they go straight there? I was about to follow, but someone grabbed my arm.

"Let them go, Percy." Piper's gentle voice said. "if there's one thing I've learned from living in the Aphrodite cabin, it's how to tell when a girl's upset and needs to be left alone. Only people really close to her'll be able to get close without getting snapped at. The best thing you can do is leave her alone with her friends."

"Thanks, Piper." I said. Sure, we may not be really close friends, but she's nice and is always there with good advice when someone needs it. Then I remembered something. "Did you just charmspeak me?"

"No! I only use it when I really have to!" she said in mock anger. "But really, what I said is true. Just let her be. They'll come back when they've cooled down."

"Thanks again." I called as she walked back to her table.

"No problem. And happy to help!"

Despite Piper's advice, I followed them. I was curious as to why, if they were so afraid of water, they'd go so close to it. Also, I wanted to apologize for upsetting Bella. She seemed so nice, so sweet and fragile and innocent, I couldn't help but feel immensely guilty about it, even more so than usual when I upset someone. You can blame my fatal flaw (personal loyalty) for that. Even if we don't know each other that well, they could be my half-sisters. And plus, they really are nice girls, so I don't see why we couldn't be friends.

I found them on the dock, feet hanging over the edge, flip-flops set off to the side. "I just wish it wouldn't be so hard!" Bella was saying. "Don't get me wrong, I love what we've got more than anything. Well, except maybe our friendship, but you get my point. I'm grateful for being chosen to have it, but it makes thing so hard. He was just trying to be nice, then we had to go in there and see all that water and… oh, why does it have to be so complicated?"

"I agree with you Bella. It is kinda hard, but we can work it out, like we always do. We can handle it, we've been doing it for three years now." Cleo said, putting her arm around her." And you've been hiding it for, what, nine? If we've done it this long, we can do it some more. I know we can. We just have to keep trying."

"Cleo's right. We _can_ do this. We can still be friends with the people here, and keep our secret. No one will ever find out we're… you-know-what's unless we show them." Emma added.

"Yeah. There's no reason we can't do this." Rikki concluded. A sly smile crept onto her face. "So, who's up for a swim?"

"Now? Bella" asked.

"Well suure. It always cheersus up. And that's exactly what we need."

"But, if I remember correctly, swimming is what got us into this mess in the first place." Emma pointed out.

"Oh, come on, Em! That was a one-time thing." Rikki's tone turned from annoyed to gentle. "Please Em?"

"Oh…" The others gave her pleading looks. They clearly saw her as the leader. She smiled. "Alright."

They all got up, and placing their hands over their heads, dove straight over the edge! I, worried, ran over. There, under the surface, I could only see dark water, and a flash of gold. Wait a minute, what was that? Something was definitely getting closer to the surface, and quickly! I backed up right as the girls' heads broke the surface.

"See? I feel less stressed already." Cleo said cheerily.

"Let's go girls. I wanna stretch my fins. I haven't been in the water for at least half a day." Bella said.

Fins? What did she mean. Then, under the water, swishing beneat her, I saw huge golden tail, glinting in the sun, topped with an elegant fin, which sparkled wondrously in the light filtering down through the water. But… it was right about… where their legs should be. But that wasn't possible! I knew what mermaids looked like from visiting my dad's palace. Why didn't they have blue skin now, or the shark-like teeth? They looked like normal girls still, well, at least from the waist up they did. From the waist _down_, they had fish tails. They were clearly mermaids, but not the kind I had seen before.

Before I could get over my shock and ask them some questions, they ducked under water and swam away at speeds that shouldn't have been possible, a good eighty miles per hour! Oh, when they got back (if they came back), I had some questions for them. A lot, actually. And I _was_ going to get my answers, one way or another. I wouldn't give up until I had all the facts straight, and had all the information.


	7. Chapter 7

As we rolled out of the water onto the sand, I sat up and asked "Why did we come back here again?"

"I… don't know." Emma answered.

Maybe it was because this place was so mystical and amazing. I didn't know why we'd come back, but I liked it here. Aside from the fact that we might get our secret blown, I really liked it here. It really was a nice place, and the buildings were a sight to behold.

We let Rikki dry us off, the evaporating water sending thick white mist billowing into the air. As we walked back into camp, we were intercepted by a blond girl. Her eyes were dark gray, calculating and mysterious, and held much intelligence. "Hi, uh-"

"Save it." she snapped. I took a small step back, surprised. "I just want to know- what are you? What kind of monster?"

"Excuse me?" Emma asked, perplexed.

"Don't make me say it again. Just tell me what you are, why you're here, and how you got past the barrier." She commanded.

"Well this is a bit awkward. You don't mean… like the monsters Percy told us about?" Bella asked.

"Yes." Her gray eyes were angry and wild, like any minute she'd have to fight us for her life. "You've got a powerful way with the Mist if you can get in here _and_ pass as human without anyone seeing it. But I'm not stupid."

"We never said you were!" Bella's voice was desperate and upset. She hated being falsely accused. "You actually seem very bright."

"Don't try to distract me with flattery, Monster."

I didn't get why she kept calling us that, especially Bella. She was the sweetest person ever to live. Well, at least that I ever met. And Emma was usually a very peaceful person, but she still defended her friends and family and stood up for what she believed in. We were saved from a fight by Percy came up to us. "There you are!" he exclaimed, putting an arm around the blond girl.

"I've been looking all over for you guys. I thought you'd left or something. And I wanted to apologize."

"No, we're fine. And really, there's no need, you were just being nice. But it's sweet you were concerned." Bella said with her usual sweet, friendly tone. There was the Bella I knew and loved. Sweet, bubbly, and handing out compliments left and right.

The blond sent her a murderous glare, making her slink back. "C'mon girls." He said to us. "I saved you some dinner. It's back at my cabin" he said kindly. As we walked back, we made sure to stay on Percy's left, with the blond, who we discovered was named Annabeth, on his right. She scared me, she was definitely someone you didn't want mad at you. Or as an enemy.

We bid farewell to Annabeth at a serious looking cabing with a huge stone owl above the door, which was hanging open. It smelled of freshly sharpened pencils, new erasers, and brand new textbooks. So like a new classroom in a newly built school. I caught a glimpse of inside, filled with about two dozen kids with Annabeth's honey blond hair and intelligent, calculating gray eyes, all with serious expressions, noses in books or hunched over blue prints or at one of two smart boards. Emma and Lewis would've both fit in perfectly with them, they were both very smart.

On the way back to Percy's cabin, we came across all sorts of amazing building's. One was royal purple and the roof seemed to be made of blue fire, the door a ball of roaring green flame. "Hecate's cabin." Percy announced as he caught me staring.

Another seemed to be split in half, divided into two parts yet fused together. One was a bright, festive orange, the other half a gloomy, depressed gray. It was split directly down the middle, the negative and the positive. Even the shadow's on the bright side seemed cheerier. "Janus's cabin." Percy informed us. We hurried along, wanting to get away. That place creeped me out.

When we were almost there, a kid who was literally on _fire_ ran by, screaming his head off as five burly, angry looking kids chased him. "Shouldn't we do something?" Emma asked, eyes popping along with the rest of us. "Nah." He waved his hand dismissively. "He'll be fine. As long as he stays on fire." Ok, I was confused now. Well, at least, a lot more confused than I already was.

We arrived at Percy's beautiful ocean themed cabin five minutes later, which seemed really nice and inviting, and not just because we were part time mermaids. We'd walked a good one and a half kilo's, and right before that, had probably swam about ten. We were pretty physically (and mentally) exhausted. And the aggressive interrogation from Annabeth had only added to the fatigue.

As we sat down in some comfy cushioned chairs, breathing in the wonderful salty air, our host gave us each a plate of food, which we thanked him multiple times for. At least, Bella did. She's always polite like that. Rikki, Emma, and I also said thank you, but not four times.

The food was delicious, some perfectly leanly cut barbeque with freshly baked bread, some grapes, cheese, and water on the side, which none of dared touch. The food was delicious, I'd never tasted such finely cooked ad cut meat. The grapes and strawberries were amazingly ripe and sweet, the bread buttery and hot. The cheese was very flavorful, incredibly soft to the touch, but not mushy or melted. It was like eating food that had been perfected with magic.

He said he'd talked to the camp director, whose name was Chiron, and arranged for us to stay with him. Bella assured him that it wasn't necessary, and that we wouldn't want to bother him, but he insisted. He was almost as sweet and giving as Bella.

After getting us each a pair of pajama's, and making sure we were comfortable, he finally turned out the lights, saying goodnight to each of us. We were very at home, comfy as ever. Perhaps a little too at ease. Because we failed to realize what would happen that night, and the dire consequences it would bring. Because that was the night of the full moon.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up to the sound of giggling, and something poking my face. I opened my eyes to find the girls surrounding my bed, looking down at me. "Oh good, you're awake." Bella said. Something was off with her voice. I couldn't write put my finger on what, but there was. She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up with strength that surprised me. She seemed like a delicate, petite girl that was never rough. But that yank sure was.

"Come on Percy. It's waiting." Emma said in a trance like voice.

"What are you talking about? What's waiting?"

"Just come on. The water awaits." Cleo said in a bossy, slightly aggressive voice, like Rikki would sometimes use. I began to wonder if they'd switched bodies and/or personalities. I know it sounds farfetched, but when you live in the world of greek gods, titans, giants, and crazy earth goddesses that want to take over the world and destroy all things good, you tend to get used to weird and unexpected stuff.

They all practically dragged me outside, most of the time not even watching where they were going. Their eyes were fixed on the full moon, but they swerved around trees or roots or anything that got in the way effortlessly and without a single glance.

They dragged me clear over to the dock, and, grinning maniacally, all said "Go on, Percy. Jump."

When I hesitated, Rikki got impatient and shoved me hard, sending me over the edge with a large splash. Surfacing and spitting out a mouthful of water, I glared at them and gave the girls a questioning look. I got the water out of my eyes just in time to see them dive in. "What the-? Girls!"

Emma surfaced next to me, her sisters following seconds later. "Come on, Percy." Bella said in a slightly flirtatious tone, giggling. "Don't be shy. Let's go for a swim." And before I could react, they each grabbed me by the wrist, two on each and dragged me down. Thanking the gods I could breathe under water, I tried to get a good look at the girls, who were twisting and twirling happily in the water. The water was dark, but over the years I'd trained my eyes to be able to see clearly in dark water. Everything was still dark, sure, but I could just make out their forms. They were swimming strangely, their hands out in front of them. As Cleo swam past, like, right in front of me, separating us only by a couple feet, I noticed that she was wearing a different outfit. She now had a bikini top and… a matching tail, just like earlier!

Ok… so I hadn't been hallucinating, which was good. But why were they acting so strangely? Right when I thought that, Rikki appeared in front of me, the others girls closing in on the sides, all smiling evilly. They each grabbed me by wrist and we shot off into the water at speeds that my stomach was not prepared for, their tails flicking up and down at impossible speeds.

After about, mmm, I'd say… twenty minutes, they took me into a strange natural tunnel, separating so they weren't side by side but swimming single file, Emma still dragging me. We surfaced in a cave with black volcanic walls, and the water of the pool we were in held a strange blue _glow_ to it.

The second I was released, I scrambled onto the sand, willing my clothes to dry. As the water evaporated, I crossed my arms. "Ok, _what_ is going on?" I demanded.

"We're at home." Cleo said. She glanced upwards. "Isn't the moon _beautiful_?" I looked upwards, and, sure enough, the full moon was peaking over the edge of the mouth of the volcano we were in, and the water began to bubble and sparkle. Amazed, I took a step back, watching as they all closed their eyes and tilted their heads up, as if they were enjoying the moons presence, and the waters strange behavior.

Ya know, being a son of Poseidon and all, I've seen just about everything when it comes to the sea, or so I thought. But I'd never seen something like this. What could be causing this- this _reaction_? "Come on in, Percy." Emma spoke with her eyes still closed. "The water calls for you. Can't you hear it?"

_No, no I can't!_, I wanted to scream, but I was too stunned, too amazed, too shocked. Wow, what Annabeth wouldn't give to see this… she would've killed to see something so scientifically incredible (and, as far as I was concerned, impossible).

Oh gods- Annabeth! She was going to _kill_ me immediately if she found out I went out in the middle of the night with four girls in their bikinis (well, half of them), especially when every now and then at least one of them would turn all giggling and flirty. Actually, scratch the 'she'd kill me instantly' part.

She wouldn't kill me… she'd bind me in chains, drag me down into the Underworld herself, _then_ kill me by chopping me up into tiny pieces and hand feed them to Cerebrus, then toss my soul into Tartarus to spend some quality time with my grandfather, to put it gently.

Oh gods… I was doomed. Finished. Oh, Olympus help me… _Seriously, I am in need of some serious help._ I prayed. _'Please don't let Ananbeth kill me, Aphrodite. I still love her, and why can't you mess with someone _else's_ love life?'_

Aphrodite's high pitched giggle filled my mind. '_Oh Percy, Percy, Percy. You and dear Annabeth are the cutest couple since Helen and Paris. Of course I won't stop messing with it. That's part of the fun!'_

I sighed. '_Oh… why do the gods hate me?'_

'_We don't hate you. Well, Athena might. And Dionysus, but he doesn't like anybody. And of course there's Ares, and H- you know, I'm getting off topic. But anyway, _I_ like you. I just enjoy making your love life complicated and full of pain and obstacles, that's all.' _A certain goddess of love informed me cheerily.

Sigh… Why is my life so complicated?


	9. Chapter 9

Percy watched in an ultimately surprised and amazed state, stunned into stillness. What in the world were his… cabin mates acting this way for? They seemed to have forgotten about him, giggling and chatting amongst themselves. "Um… girls?" he instantly wished he hadn't said anything.

They all whipped to him with suddenly ferocious looks. He swallowed nervously and backed away a little, thinking about reaching into his pocket for his sword/pen, but quickly abandoned the idea. These weren't one of the bloodthirsty monsters with unconquerable appetites for demigod death, but… mermaids? Were they? After all, they looked nothing like the ones down at his fathers undersea kingdom, so…

Before he knew what was happening, there was a puddle of water soaking the cuffs of his pants and shoes. This seemed harmless, until Bella suddenly made a twisting motion with her hand, and if morphed into a sticky, jelly like substance. "What the-"he didn't get to finish.

He was suddenly wrapped in another column of water, and it was frozen with a single thrust of Emma's hand. With a vicious smile, Cleo made a cage of water appear around him, and Bella turned it to jelly. Then, with a repeat of the same hand gesture, it turned glassy and hard.

"H-Hey!" the son of the sea god protested. "Let me out of here! What're you doing this for?!"

The girls all turned, and for a moment, he honestly thought they were going to leave him. However, they all relaxed against the rocks as if it were a comfortable couch, staring up at the hole in the sky. "The moon said to." Rikki answered. Ok, I'm officially convinced these guys are entirely and completely, one hundred percent _whacko_.

Percy tried to talk to them more, but the girls ignored him, just staring at the hole in the sky, as if the silver disk were still there, smiling contentedly. They seemed to have forgotten all about him.

With nothing better to do, the teenaged hero lie down on the sand. No sense staying awake all night and wasting all his energy. And the mermaids seemed pre-occupied with the sky, completely harmless at the moment. And with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes.

…

Percy awoke to a sharp gasp. "Oh my gosh!" Bella's voice brought him around. "Percy! Are you ok?!"

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. His odd new companions all stood on the sand, looking completely normal. Still in their clothes, no fins, no tails… had he dreamt the whole thing? It wouldn't be the strangest thing he'd ever dreamt up.

…Then he noticed the cage.

He was still stuck in the water-jelly… whatever the substance was imprisonment. He scrambled to his feet, which was pretty hard considered his feet were still stuck in the gooey jelly mixture from before. Bella stuck out her hand without hesitation, and the goop reverted instantly into water, which seeped into the sand.

Sharing looks, the girls nodded, and Rikki put out her hand. Percy cringed, thinking she was going to carry through with her previous threat of burning him down into nothing but a smoking husk, but instead, the cage started steaming and hissing, and within a few moments, it had turned back into harmless tentacles of water. Cleo's hand awaited to control the water, as not to waste it, and guided it back into the moon pool.

"Ok." He pulled out his sword, ready to defend himself if they went all crazy like before. "Answers."

"To what?"

"Oh, um, I don't know…" he began sarcastically. "How about… _why the heck did you attack me last night and drag to some island in the middle of nowhere_?!" Bella flinched at the explosion, while the other three looked at him curiously.

"What do you-" Rikki cut herself off. "Oh _no_."

"We didn't…"

"I think we did…"

"What did you see?!" all four demanded, inching toward the pool should they need to make a quick escape.

"Uh…" should he answer? Deciding lying would probably just get him into more trouble, he took a deep breath and said "Everything. You guys have water powers, and…" he swallowed, not knowing how they'd react. "And tails."

They all gasped in horror. He knew their secret! He was going to expose them to the whole world and get them dissected like high school biology lab frogs!

Rikki opened her mouth to say something, probably threaten him, but it was overridden by a gasp from all four. "Wh-what…" Emma's voice shook a little in awe, raising a finger to point behind their acquaintance. "Is _that?_"

That was when Annabeth's voice called from behind her boyfriend. "Percy?! _Where are you_?!"


End file.
